Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and New Zealand

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in United States:
City in New Zealand:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in New Zealand is 9.7% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New Zealand is 19.2% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in New Zealand are 38.2% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in New Zealand are 16.0% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in New Zealand are 9.2% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in New Zealand is 14.8% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 $ (33.45 NZ$)	14.95 $ (25.00 NZ$)	-25.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (125.45 NZ$)	74.73 $ (125.00 NZ$)	-0.4 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.24 $ (18.80 NZ$)	8.97 $ (15.00 NZ$)	-20.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (10.04 NZ$)	6.58 $ (11.00 NZ$)	+9.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.71 NZ$)	6.58 $ (11.00 NZ$)	-6.1 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.23 $ (8.75 NZ$)	3.40 $ (5.69 NZ$)	-35.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.29 NZ$)	2.25 $ (3.77 NZ$)	-12.2 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.50 NZ$)	2.09 $ (3.49 NZ$)	-0.2 %
Markets	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.69 NZ$)	6.73 $ (11.26 NZ$)	+68.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.51 NZ$)	1.75 $ (2.92 NZ$)	-46.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.50 NZ$)	0.83 $ (1.40 NZ$)	-60.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.23 $ (7.08 NZ$)	6.42 $ (10.74 NZ$)	+51.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.81 NZ$)	3.72 $ (6.23 NZ$)	-36.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.52 $ (9.24 NZ$)	4.28 $ (7.16 NZ$)	-22.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.38 $ (12.35 NZ$)	5.83 $ (9.75 NZ$)	-21.0 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (4.01 NZ$)	1.26 $ (2.11 NZ$)	-47.3 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.27 NZ$)	1.02 $ (1.71 NZ$)	+34.4 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.41 NZ$)	1.37 $ (2.30 NZ$)	-32.7 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.73 NZ$)	2.14 $ (3.58 NZ$)	-4.2 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.23 NZ$)	0.94 $ (1.58 NZ$)	-29.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.34 NZ$)	0.80 $ (1.33 NZ$)	-43.0 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.21 $ (3.69 NZ$)	2.34 $ (3.92 NZ$)	+6.2 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.73 NZ$)	1.13 $ (1.89 NZ$)	-49.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (25.09 NZ$)	9.57 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-36.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.26 NZ$)	2.98 $ (4.98 NZ$)	+52.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.59 $ (6.01 NZ$)	3.48 $ (5.82 NZ$)	-3.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (16.73 NZ$)	23.91 $ (40.00 NZ$)	+139.1 %
Transportation	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (4.18 NZ$)	2.39 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-4.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (108.72 NZ$)	106.12 $ (177.50 NZ$)	+63.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (6.27 NZ$)	2.39 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-36.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.68 NZ$)	3.27 $ (5.47 NZ$)	+16.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (50.18 NZ$)	35.87 $ (60.00 NZ$)	+19.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.51 $ (5.87 NZ$)	6.35 $ (10.62 NZ$)	+81.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (50,178.96 NZ$)	26,903.71 $ (45,000.00 NZ$)	-10.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,959.70 $ (43,421.03 NZ$)	21,531.55 $ (36,014.36 NZ$)	-17.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.23 $ (348.29 NZ$)	136.21 $ (227.83 NZ$)	-34.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.27 $ (95.78 NZ$)	34.74 $ (58.11 NZ$)	-39.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.50 $ (119.59 NZ$)	51.57 $ (86.25 NZ$)	-27.9 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.57 $ (77.90 NZ$)	36.62 $ (61.24 NZ$)	-21.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.98 $ (36.76 NZ$)	14.87 $ (24.87 NZ$)	-32.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.47 $ (24.20 NZ$)	11.96 $ (20.00 NZ$)	-17.4 %
Childcare	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,377.14 $ (2,303.46 NZ$)	746.26 $ (1,248.23 NZ$)	-45.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,604.54 $ (37,809.09 NZ$)	11,737.13 $ (19,631.90 NZ$)	-48.1 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.13 $ (87.19 NZ$)	68.13 $ (113.95 NZ$)	+30.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.58 $ (71.23 NZ$)	42.82 $ (71.62 NZ$)	+0.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.63 $ (149.92 NZ$)	95.79 $ (160.22 NZ$)	+6.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.15 $ (189.25 NZ$)	117.47 $ (196.48 NZ$)	+3.8 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,741.26 $ (2,912.49 NZ$)	1,091.19 $ (1,825.16 NZ$)	-37.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,437.50 $ (2,404.41 NZ$)	912.86 $ (1,526.87 NZ$)	-36.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,902.91 $ (4,855.49 NZ$)	1,739.00 $ (2,908.71 NZ$)	-40.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,404.86 $ (4,022.44 NZ$)	1,501.96 $ (2,512.23 NZ$)	-37.5 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	301.57 $ (504.42 NZ$)	465.32 $ (778.32 NZ$)	+54.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.50 $ (420.67 NZ$)	382.96 $ (640.55 NZ$)	+52.3 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,338.67 $ (7,256.99 NZ$)	2,987.54 $ (4,997.06 NZ$)	-31.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.76	+3.8 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10761	478

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